Confessions
by admiring the otherside
Summary: Lookie here, I'm writing a series. It's going to be made up of relatively short chapters, and it's based on my favourite pairing, [Royai]. [ Completed! ]
1. Flames Against a Quiet Background

**A/N: **Ah! This is me trying out Confessions with a different opening. Hopefully this'll be a better opening than my first. ;

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA, unfortunately.

* * *

The ring of the phone was a shrill sound, piercing the comfortable silence of the office. 1st Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye glanced up from her papers to the man who sat at the desk in front of the windows, her pen still and poised above her work. He was frowning as he picked up the phone, somewhat slow to reply. Riza waited for his lips and his tongue to start moving, wondering what was making him seem so – almost reluctant – wary to speak.

"Mustang." The bark was his usual mode of answering. He listened, eyes widening as more words translated in his head. "What the hell?" Riza put down her pen. "Havoc, you better not be messing with me." Riza was already standing. "We'll be there in ten minutes. Call the fire department as soon as you finish talking to me." Riza had fastened her coat, and was now standing by the door. She didn't need words to ask the question.

"The south end of Central's been targeted. A whole block in on fire." Roy's voice was colder than ice, his eyes darker than the night, thought he moved with flaming motions. It was at these times that Riza admired his dedication to his role in the military and in the community. "Havoc missed the explosion by about a minute." Roy laughed bitterly. "His being late for a date saved his life."

Riza had taken on board the information bit by bit. Her own eyes were wide as saucers, and she Roy strode past her, she was immobile. "Sir? The south end's been attacked?" Regaining her composure, she hurried after Roy, still trying to take in the news fully. Havoc was almost killed? Her thoughts were begging to run amok in her head, but she kept calm, her mental state as sturdy as her physical.

"That's what I just said, isn't it?" Roy was on edge. Riza overtook him, positioning herself between the car and the Colonel. Roy wasn't the most responsible driver when in a mood. The engine was already humming when he slid into the passenger seat beside her. "I hope you haven't forgotten where or what the south end is. A romantic place. It's a favourite destination for lovers, all so absorbed in each other, all vulnerable, easy targets-" Roy's fingers had curled into fists when Riza interrupted.

"Sir, this is not the time to get angry," She began carefully. "If we come across the culprits, it'll blind your conscience. That won't be a pretty scene." She kept her voice quiet and level; this wasn't the first time she'd experienced facing Colonel's temper. "Also, if Havoc called you right away, it proves he's alright, doesn't it?" She'd touched onto the topic that was preying on Roy's mind the most; the safety of his subordinates, of his friends. Roy flexed his fingers, exhaling.

"You're right," He said, mimicking the tone of her voice. "You're right. If you're asking me though, I think Havoc's just begging for trouble, always ending up in places where things explode and get destroyed. Ha, it's obvious. Trouble matches his name perfectly. Whoever thought taking someone on a date could get you involved in something like this…"

"I think Lieutenant Havoc would have been dragged into the fray whether he was at the scene or not. He'd never forgive us if he wasn't called out to help. Then again, knowing you, sir, you're not the kind of person who'd let Havoc have a quiet evening." In reply to this, Roy chuckled, still sounding a little sour.

"Too true, Hawkeye, too true…"

Glancing out of the window, Roy could see the flare of fire against the darkening evening sky as it rose above the rooftops. Scowling, he extracted a pair of white gloves, the back showing a crimson insignia of an alchemy circle, wriggling his fingers into them. Shooting him a bemused look, Riza speculated on whether Roy was planning on doing anything stupid, like burning the culprits to a crisp.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't think your alchemy is going to be very useful right now. After all, the block of buildings is on fire-"

"Hawkeye, keep your eyes on the road." Roy began to make experimental sparks, clicking his fingers sharply. "I am fiercely aware of the buildings being on fire. Against flesh, fire is a very effective weapon." He looked squarely at Riza, though her gaze remained on the road, just as she'd been instructed, but that didn't stop her from speaking.

"As are guns." It was Riza's defiant way of saying, with much less words, "You're not leaving me behind tonight. I'm helping you all the way through."


	2. Bullets

A/N: Special thanks go to my friend Lucia for helping me type out parts two and three after school. Enjoy the chapters!

Disclaimer: After this chapter, I'm putting no more disclaimers in because it's obvious I don't own FMA.

* * *

"Hey, Colonel, over here!" Havoc stood near the men wielding horses, waving at Roy. "They're having some trouble getting the fire down." As Roy approached with Riza at his side, Havoc smirked slightly. "It'll be slow work." Roy gave his 2nd Lieutenant a cold glare, and the smirk faded rapidly.

"What appears to be so funny?"

_The fact that you and Lieutenant Hawkeye look like you'd make a great couple. _

"Nothing, sir."

"Good answer," Roy snarled. "Hawkeye, you're scouting the nearest places behind the hotel. I'm doing the roofs, got it?" Riza gave a sharp nod. She daren't argue with him. Despite being one of the few people of a lower rank than Roy who could point a gun at his head and not lose their job, Riza never pushed the limits (thought people often thought the limits were pushed as soon as she got out her gun). "Havoc, have you got a gun?"

"You're going with Hawkeye then. Now get moving! I want to see the bastards who did this behind bars before this night's over, you hear?" He didn't give them time to reply. He was already inside the nearest building, ready to take the harrowing climb upwards. It was lucky for him that all the blocks were literally side by side, with the exception of some alleyways.

Havoc followed Riza as she crept along the wall, her gun carefully held in her delicate grasp. He watched her rigid movements, frowning. Usually she was elegant to the point of looking like a dancer, but something about her tonight seemed a little bit off. Havoc couldn't quite put his finger on the cause of her apparent stringency, but he knew it was there; he could feel it too, lurking at the back of his mind.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, is something bothering you?" He asked quietly, not expecting to get an answer straight away, if not at all. He thought Riza would reply but she stopped, raising her head to signal silence. Havoc could hear it too now. It was the sound of pleased giggles and giddy voices. Riza took three steps forward, while Havoc took only two. She strained her ears, trying to pick out the words that were being spoken.

"I can't believe we pulled it off!" The voice was like a distant whisper to Riza, but she could definitely hear it. "I almost thought we'd be caught…it's such an exhilarating feeling, ruining things. I love those flames so much…"

"Shush." A feverish titter followed. "Ah, I can't help it! Ooh, we blew up a building!" There was a delighted squeal. "I just hope Jared and Benny get back with no problems." Riza had heard enough. She'd identified the two voices as being male, and the words were enough evidence.

"Go around the other side of this building," She mouthed to Havoc. "It might not be a dead end down there." Havoc obliged, and Riza waited patiently, giving him the time to jog around before she stepped forward, gun aimed around the corner. "Surrender peacefully and no one gets hurt," She stated, loud and clear, her voice echoing slightly, bouncing from wall to wall.

The boys in the alley were young. Riza suspected they were around the Full Metal Alchemist's age. She was pleased to see that they alley did indeed have a dead end. However, the presence of her gun seemed to do nothing. Instead, the boys continued to giggle girlishly, as if they were drunk of hysterical.

"Look at that, Paulie! Miss Military here thinks a gun's gonna scare us!" The cry came from the smaller of the two, the first one who spoke. "That's hilarious!" Riza cocked her gun, pursing her lips together at the insolence of the boy. She repeated what she had said, but that only made them laugh harder. She was getting irritated now, but she remained calm. There was no point in getting angry. She'd already said that to Roy this evening.

The taller boy, Paulie, held up a match. "See this?" He asked insolently, his eyes meeting Riza's. "This is my ticket out of here." As if by alchemy, the match was lit. Riza had little time for her sharp reflexes to kick in, but it still wasn't enough. A burst of fire was rocketing towards her, and she had to shoot.

The pain of having the gun fall from her was a strange feeling to Riza. She yelped as the bullet from above knocked her gun away, her finger never even stroked the trigger. She had no choice but to leap away a from the entrance of the alley as the fire shot out. Above her, she heard frenzied cheers, but over that noise, she also heard a biting shout.

"Bad move, boys."


	3. The Pain of Fear

A/N: Chapter five is going to be very cute, just to say. ;D Anyway, thanks again to Lucia for typing this up for me (I wrote it, of course, but it had to be re-typed).

* * *

Roy Mustang was worse than furious. Not only had these kids probably killed a great number of people, but they'd shot at his Lieutenant, and laughed in her face. His opaque eyes were narrowed, trained on the two youths stood on the edge of the roof. The one holding the gun raised it at Roy, his hands shaking slightly. To them, Riza looked like a pretty girl in military uniform, nothing more than that. Roy was another matter, on the other hand. He expressed his ferocity very clearly, not caring if he was scaring them.

"Oh yes, that was an awful idea. You just aimed a shot at my 1st Lieutenant, and that's getting you nowhere in my books." He smirked maliciously. "You can put the gun down, boy. I can melt that bullet within seconds." The odd lie did wonders, Roy had found, especially if you can provoke fear into submission. It was working now. The boy's grip was loosening on the gun, but it still stayed raised. "Why did you plant explosives into the buildings?" There was no answer. Only the distant sounds of shouts and the crackle of flames could be heard. _"Answer me!"_

"W-we wanted to see the devastation," cried the lankier of the two boys. "We wanted to see the….the flames licking at the skies. "There were tears gathering in his eyes. "We wanted the thrill of knowing we'd done something forbidden. W-w-we…" He let a small sob erupt from his throat. The boy holding the gun was also on the verge of tears. Roy found their terror a little disarming. He didn't want to show it, though. He wasn't going to either. Riza peered though the crack in the open door, still gently massaging her hand. Blood trickled across her palm where the skin had been scraped off, thanks to her awkward landing, and her knee ached tremendously. Her targets had made a run for it while she was recovering, pursued by Havoc, who had apologised profusely to Riza as he darted past her. Her heart was pounding from her excursion up seven flights of stairs, and she was breathing heavily, gently cocking her backup gun. She positioned it in the small space she was using to survey the scene, ready to shoot at the first sights of trouble. She couldn't hear Roy speaking; the blood roaring in her ears prevented sound from reaching her.

"Does that mean you have to sacrifice human lives?" Roy was almost quivering with vehemence. "Does that mean you have to try hurting the people close to me? One of my Lieutenants could have a bullet through her hand, and the other could have _died_! Do you understand the ultimate pain of loss? That's the pain you've subjected so many people to today. That's the only thing you'll get out of needless destruction. You're just murderers."

The boy with the gun shook his head.

"If that's the consequence of our actions, so be it," he murmured. "No need for a bullet in the hand when she could have a bullet through her head." He turned around rapidly, and aimed at the door.

The bullet whistled through the air towards Riza, who was hidden behind the door that led to the roof. Roy cried out, his attention diverted to where she was, letting the boys scarper.

Riza sat extremely still. Her lips were parted; her eyes alight with the sudden, rare spart of fear. The door had a small mark in it where the bullet had entered. Blood trickled down her skin, down to her mouth, dripping slowly onto her tongue. She wondered whether this was what death felt like. She'd been told that when you die you feel nothing, not even what killed you. Was this true?

The door was yanked open, and Roy stood there, his face contorted with pure fear. Riza blinked, realising there was sharp pain in her cheek. Her gun clattered to the floor a second later as relief flooded her. She was alive, and she stayed like that a little longer. Roy collapsed to his knees, his head low, all the breath he'd been holding back suddenly released. Riza reached up to touch the long crimson mark on her face where the bullet had grazed her, warm blood coating her cold, tentative fingers. She tried to speak but no sound came out. All she could think for that moment was how afraid she'd felt. It was a strange feeling. It was unnatural to her.

"Thank God. Thank God…" Roy took her hand, pulling her forwards to him. Riza didn't understand what was happening. Nothing was registering with her. Roy's arms were around her, his warmth searing through her cold. "Thanks God, you're still alive…you're still breathing…" Riza managed a small sound of agreement before she passed out, her good cheek still resting on Roy's shoulder. The horror that that had consumed both of them was ebbing away now, slowly, and Roy thanked God that she was still alive.

They both knew full well that the bullet that the boy had fired could have gone through her forehead. _But it didn't._


	4. The Littlest Thing Will Make Her Smile

A/N: Yay! My internet is working, and that means that I can upload the rest of Confessions. During the time when my internet wasn't working, I had to type up the parts on my computer, print them out and type them up AGAIN at school. Awful, I know. Anyway, I have completed the series. As a heads up, it's a ten part series, and depending on reviews, I may do a sequel. Thank you to everyone who's giving me reviews! You're all stars.

* * *

When Riza woke up, the first thing her bleary eyes could see was Roy, leaning over her, concentrating on her right side of her face. Surprise forced her to sit up sharply, her head knocking into his. Roy leant back with a grunt, rubbing the collision point, glowering at his lieutenant. Refocusing her eyes, Riza looked around the unfamiliar space, white canvas walls lined metal cabinets as far as the eye could see. 

"Hawkeye, what the hell was that for?" Roy's snarl caught her unaware. She turned her eyes back to him, forming the words slowly on her tongue. She could feel her cheek stinging but she ignored it. As she began to speak, she felt another wave of dizziness overcome her and she started to collapse back down, Roy's hands gently guiding her. "Hawkeye?" All traces of irritation had left Roy's voice. Riza closed her eyes as Roy began to dab the wound on her cheek with antiseptic again, her lips twitching as if she wanted to say something.

"Sorry," She mumbled, her voice literally inaudible. Roy smiled feebly as he continued to dress the injury. "I didn't mean to get in the way." _It's just shock_, Roy reminded himself as he listened. _Just shock; she'll recover quickly._ "Did they get away?"

"They did." Riza tensed. "That doesn't matter right now. Patrols are scouting the area right now. We'll get back on the case in the morning." _I like the sound of "we"_, Riza thought absently, allowing herself an insignificant, tiny smile. "Havoc's helping sort out the mess right now. They've put out the majority of the fire."

"That's good…" Riza was drifting in and out of slumber, only catching the words "put out" and "fire". As Roy applied the plaster to her cheek, Riza finally did sleep her breathing soft and even. _It's just shock_, Roy repeated. _She'll recover._

_She always does._

The next time Riza woke, she found herself staring at the white ceiling of her bedroom. The gentle pressure of Black Hayate was present on her feet, coupled with gentle, canine snores. Riza just lay there, in silence, for several minutes, before she decided it was time to wake up. Wandering out into her living room, she noticed her clip acting a paper weight on the piece of paper on her coffee table. Curious (and wanting an explanation as to why she was at her apartment and not somewhere else less familiar), she took the note, quickly scanning the cursive script.

"_I found your keys in the office and brought you back home. You can take the day off, Riza, if you like. Otherwise, there's a meeting at two. If you are going to come in for work, don't be late._

_Roy_"

Riza stared at the name on the end of the note for a while, contemplating whether or not she should bother going to work. After all, when did one get the chance for an extra day off? It was then that Riza realised she was still wearing her uniform from last night. Cringing, she was glad the Colonel had let her retain her dignity. As she did some walking around her apartment (it was only half past six in the morning; she had plenty of time), Riza mulled over why Roy had referred to her as Riza in the note, as opposed to the usual Hawkeye or Lieutenant. It was unusual.

After ten minutes of quiet contemplation, Riza decided she would go to work. There was no point not going; what was she going to do all day? Riza prided herself in being a woman who did not spend all of her free time shopping (the only exception being books), so there would have been little to do for her.

In the bathroom, Riza surveyed her face in the mirror. Peeling off the plaster, she winced at the angry looking scrape, bordered by a dark, purple bruise. Patting it gingerly, she discovered it wasn't aching in particular, and proceeded with taking a shower. The hot water was welcomed by Riza, her fine blonde hair plastering to her shoulders. As the glass doors fogged up, she found that she was doing a lot of thinking again. Riza was painfully conscious that last night had affected her, but she didn't plan on letting the whole world know. She had to snap out of it. Yet, she couldn't help but let her thoughts mosey around sometimes into areas that she had never really touched on fully. Those thoughts involved Colonel Roy Mustang, and incidents that happened recently. However, the only glitch was that she didn't know if they had actually taken place.


	5. Thoughts

Roy did not think of her as an angel. He thought of her as a mortal, beautiful and perfectly flawed. He admired her candour around him, and was glad that she did not act like a lowly underling. She was a rough cut diamond, sparkling and gleaming, but sharp the touch, with the need to be mellowed. She was as elegant and as skilled as dancer, and as riveting as a best seller. Roy thought of her as the definition of attraction, the sculpted dissertation of refinement. She was a dangerous as the bullets she fired, physically and verbally, which was what made him only want her more. She was the easiest to talk to, the best to confide in. She was his comforter and his right hand help. She was his love and she was his lieutenant.

Riza did not think of him as just "the colonel". She thought of him as her friend, arrogant and snappy as he could be. She admired the way he could hide his true emotions in a situation with tremendous simplicity, if he wanted to. He was conceited but he was selfless, and he did not let transgression slide by without difficulty. He could be too sure of his abilities yet still use them to his advantage, whatever the situation. Riza thought of him as the human thesis of determination and dedication, with effortless ways of expressing his talents. He had no trouble in putting across his point, as scathing as it could be, with the deserved respect. He was her love and he was her superior.


	6. Another Day

A/N: This chapter is more to link things together than anything else. All good things need linking chpaters though, don't they?

* * *

Roy was already seated at his desk when Riza came into the office. She looked at him, brows raised, listening to the scratch of his pen on the paper. For about a minute, he didn't notice, until she felt compelled to clear her throat, her hands clasped behind her back. Roy was startled, glancing up somewhat hurriedly, even stumbling up when he saw Riza standing in the door way. The lieutenant allowed herself a rare laugh, the corners of her mouth curled up in a small smile. 

"Was I promoted?" She asked, indicating the way Roy had leapt to his feet. She saluted before crossing the room to her little area. "Good morning, sir." At her desk, Riza was greeted by a large pile of papers. She frowned at them; working in the military involved too much signing of forms. She knew Roy was still staring at her, gawking like an idiot. It was difficult not to laugh just a little more, but she bit the urge back.

"Uh, morning, Hawkeye." Roy plonked down again, though his eyes never left her. "You decided to come in today?" Riza nodded slowly as she continued to read through the first form. "How do you feel? Is the cut getting better?" _Someone's being persistent,_ Riza thought, her gaze meeting with Roy's.

"I feel great, and I'm barely noticing the cut."

"But you're noticing it."

Riza let her smile broaden somewhat. "Yes, I notice it. It feels rather raw at times, and it feels strange. However, it's not getting on my nerves, and that's what counts." Roy took the prompt, obligingly muttering something in accord before continuing on with his work. Riza was pleased; for once, he was dropping the lazy, arrogant act. It was very refreshing.

As the lunch hour dragged by, considerably more lethargic than usual, Riza sat in the office, her thoughtful face aimed at the first drawer of her desk. She knew what was inside, and she didn't like what was inside. The thing inside would mean she had to make the kind of independent decision no one liked, but could never discuss with someone else. Inside was something that she wanted to avoid, but she knew she couldn't. While all the other personnel loitered around in the canteen, she merely sat around, lost in the deep chasms that were her thoughts.

One elbow was on the desk, the hand connected to it propping up her chin. Her other hand was on her knee, and her brow was furrowed. Riza looked tense and irritable. Havoc had sensed it last night when they were tracking the boys. The constant worry of this thing being on her mind was going to cost her something more dearly than some of the skin on her cheek next time. Riza mulled over several possibilities in her mind. Some seemed more plausible than others. They could all happen, depending on whether she said yes or no.

She left her desk, walking over the windows behind the colonel's desk. Outside, men and women sat on the grass, enjoying what little time they could have outside in the warm sun. People were laughing and talking, clearly enjoying themselves. It was almost strange, seeing them having fun and still wearing their military uniform. It just wasn't something Riza often saw. She looked back to the first drawer of her desk, squeezing eyes shut as she tried to ease out the frustration in her mind. She could hear footsteps nearing the office, and she swiftly moved back to her post, pretending to be looking at some kind of order form for something.

Havoc entered, plumes of smoke trailing after him as he approached his desk. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant Hawkeye," He acknowledged her nonchalantly, giving her a warm grin. Riza glanced up at him, faking the whole "oh-I-didn't-hear/see-you-come-in" thing. "I didn't see you at the canteen. Did you stay up here all this time?"

"I had a lot papers to do," Riza said, pointing to the pile still present on her desk. "Anyway, I didn't feel that hungry. Have there been any leads on the boys from last night?" Havoc shook his head, frowning, his eyes trailing to the injury on Riza's cheek for a second.

"There's no news at all. It's as if they've all disappeared into thin air. Other branches say we should wait for them to strike again," Havoc noticed Riza stiffen considerably. "However, the Colonel told them to go to hell and try clear their heads." Riza relaxed once again. "And I quote him directly."

"I can't believe they'd suggest something like that," Riza pursed her lips together. "They expect us to just sit idly like that?"

"Awful, isn't it?" Roy leant against the doorway, his face hard. "The meeting's about to begin, Lieutenants."


	7. Disarming And Charming

A/N: This is perhaps the chapter people have been waiting for? I have no idea.  
But don't you just get the best hints from my opening comments? ;

* * *

"It's expected that if they strike again, they will strike somewhere public. Somewhere that'll get them the attention they seem to be craving." Roy addressed the large number of people, only his eyes expressing the anger he felt on the subject. He kept looking at Riza, more specifically to her cheek, and everyone was noticing. Riza felt embarrassed under the scrutiny of so many eyes, but she didn't dare blush; she just listened. "The simplest and perhaps most effective thing we can do at the moment is station groups in the more prominently known areas of Central to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I trust you've all been given descriptions of the targets?" Muted agreements and nods came as he spoke. Riza exchanged knowing glance with Havoc as Roy began to reel off the names in each patrol. "West end; myself, Hawkeye, Havoc, Breda and Fuery." 

No one was expecting anything else from Roy. He would always post the people he was closest to him with him. The meeting concluded abruptly, with everyone briskly filing out so they could leave for their placements. Havoc, Breda and Fuery were muttering as they left, with Riza following several feet behind them. So engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't realise at first that she had been stopped.

"You can hang on." Roy's hand pushed her around to face him, resting on the small of her back. Riza's eyes widened as she was gentled shoved towards him, his other hand light on her waist. Without warning, Roy placed a soft, chaste kiss on her lips. All she could do was give in. Her hands were put onto his shoulders, the movement causing Roy to press his kiss down just a little more firmly. They solely stood there, locked together, ignorant of everything else around them. "My, my, Hawkeye. You are very distracted, aren't you?" Roy murmured, carefully placing the gun he'd taken off of Riza onto the nearest desk.

"So are you, sir," Riza answered, cocking her second gun. Roy laughed, traces of anxiety in his voice. However, Riza just gently placed that gun next to the other. Roy leant his head back reluctantly, smiling in an almost sheepish way at her. Riza surveyed him. "Why… why did you do that?" The question was simple enough, and it had a simple answer too. However, with Roy, it took a little while for him to gather the right words.

"I did that because… because last night I thought you'd died. I felt so utterly scared, and I finally understood that no one's bullet proof. Not me, and not you. So I did that because I'm not sure if I'll get the chance to again." Riza was about to speak, but she was interrupted.

"Colonel, are you coming or what?" Roy straightened, scowling as he grudgingly disentangled himself from Riza, striding towards the door.

"Havoc, haven't you ever heard that patience is a virtue?" Roy's shout echoed down the stairwell, a chuckle floating back up in reply as a sure sign that Havoc hadn't ever heard of that saying. "Riza, are you coming?" She started at the sound of her own name, reacting slowly to it. "I said, are you coming?" Riza nodded numbly, following Roy out.

Havoc had already started driving his car out, with Breda and Fuery inside, when Roy and Riza reached their car. Automatically, Riza seated herself in the driver's seat, with her superior sliding in beside her. They didn't speak; the silence wasn't awkward, though. It was comfortable, just like it had been in the office before Havoc had called about the situation in the south end. Riza was smiling openly, her cheeks slightly red. Roy was watching her, holding back his own immensely broad smile.

"You look happy," He commented five minutes into the journey.

"I am."

"Oh?" He paused. "You look like a girl who's just been kissed for the first time."

"Guys, how long do you think it's going to take for the Colonel to confess his true feelings to Lieutenant Hawkeye?" Fuery's question started the favourite topic amongst Roy's subordinates; wondering about his relationship with Riza Hawkeye. Havoc shrugged, while Breda smirked, looked back at the Sergeant.

"I think he's going to have to do it soon. I hear Hawkeye's being headhunted. There's talk of her being offered a promotion if she transfers to somewhere." Breda chuckled. "I can't believe she hasn't noticed it yet, though. When he's not talking about some random thing, or slacking off, he's always staring at her."

"I just wish they'd hurry up," Havoc said wistfully. "I've always fancied being a best man at a wedding." Thus began the bickering over who'd be chosen as the best man for Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye's (inevitable) wedding.


	8. Too Late

A/N: I feel evil, treating Fuery like that in my fic. :(

* * *

The evening was drawing in slowly. Sergeant Kain Fuery stifled a yawn, trying to stay awake and alert. The majority of the afternoon had been spent chatting to Breda on the walkie-talkies while wandering around his set area. Now they were both plain bored and tired. A hand stayed hovering cautiously above his gun, Fuery connected back through to Breda, sounding wan. "Breda? Breda, are you there?" There was a crackle of static before the 2nd Lieutenant answered. 

"Where else would I be?" Breda answered testily. "Did you worry I'd decided to wander off back to the base and leave my walkie-talkie behind?"

"No. I was just asking."

"Well, are you there, Fuery?"

"Seeing as I'm talking to you, yes, I am."

There was a sigh at the other end of the line.

"Trying to prove a point here, Fuery."

"Oh, sorry-"

Fuery stopped, sinking to his knees. He had a bemused, dazed look on his face just before he blacked out, a throbbing pain present at the back of his head. His walkie-talkie lay on the ground near his now outstretched hand, panicked shouts coming from the other end. "Fuery? Fuery, what's up? Fuery?"

Riza and Roy were discussing the terms of their new found rapport as they walked along, both content and relatively relaxed. Riza was, of course, ready with her gun, and Roy with his gloves, but nonetheless, they were mixing a little pleasure with business. Roy had adjusted well to referring to her as Riza, though the latter was having difficulty in referring to Roy as Roy. For her, the transition was not easily met with. However, Roy had his reputation, so Riza could barely blame him. She, on the other hand, had not had amazing amounts of romantic experience.

"How long will we be keeping this quiet for?" She asked, glancing over to him. "I mean, are we going to admit that we…" She couldn't say it, but she didn't need to. Roy understood perfectly well. Riza's tongue was still tingling from being able to say "we" and imply that kind of relationship in it.

"I don't know. Personally, I think people have been expecting it." Riza blushed, to Roy's endless amusement. "I don't mind, in any case. Despite the fact that people may be… _awaiting_ this announcement on how we associate with each other, I think it'll still shock them."

"That's true." Riza stopped to think. "Si- Roy, do you-"

"Colonel! Colonel, I've lost contact with Fuery!" Breda rounded the corner, his face unnerved, waving his walkie-talkie madly about. "We were talking, and then suddenly he went silent. I've been continually trying to reach him, but all I'm picking up is static and no replies whatsoever!"

Roy and Riza looked at each other. "Go find Havoc. Tell him to go find Fuery. You alert the other patrols and the fire brigade." He glowered at the building in front of him. "They're here." Breda seemed nervous still, but he did what he was told, trying to contact Havoc as he ran off. "We have a bone to pick them, don't we, Riza?" The question was rhetorical. "I'll take the roofs again," Roy said as he began to sprint towards the nearest building. "You're taking the ground." There was no arguing with him.

"Be careful sir- ah, I mean Roy." He stopped, turning to look at her.

"You too, Riza."

Riza nodded, turning to move around the side of the building. This was the centre of the west end. The building Roy had just run into was the biggest art gallery in Central. Neither Roy nor Riza doubted that this was the next target.

As she approached the back of the building, she could hear voices. Voice she recognised. The boys from last night were back, and they were here. _Wasting no time, I see,_ Riza thought sourly. This time, she wasn't going to announce herself. This time, she'd do things right. Cocking her gun, she slowly turned the corner, aiming and firing right away. The result was an anguished cry as her bullet flew into the nearest boy's arm. Yowling like a cat, he staggered away, leaving behind his friend, who sneered at Riza, oblivious to the fact that his friend had been shot.

"Miss Military's too late!" He cried triumphantly, pointing to the collection of explosives that lay by the wall, the timer ticking away the seconds and the minutes.


	9. Giving Evidence

A/N: This chapter is rushed. It's all start and stop. Bleh.  
-flails-

* * *

Roy was thankful that the gallery had closed two hours ago. The personnel within had been easy to evacuate. It was just a question of finding the explosives and the boys at the present. _If they're here, that is,_ he thought, though he was certain they were somewhere here. He was on the third of four storeys, but so far he'd found nothing. That meant they were probably on the roof. _I have to do this. I have to even the score. They could have killed Riza last night, and for that they'll have to pay._ Roy surprised himself. Now that he'd opened up to Riza and done the one thing he'd wanted to do for so long, he felt like he was morally obliged to protect her. There was that and what her father had requested he do. _Look after my daughter_. Roy replayed the sentence in his mind over and over. He had to protect her. He had two reasons to. 

After crossing the third floor, wandering amongst the paintings, eerie and vibrant as they were, he reached the stairs on the other side of the building. He ascended, ready to fry the boys when he found them. He was convinced that he was ready for anything. He changed him mind a second later when the roar of fire reached his ears, a tongue of flame dancing into the stairwell.

Riza was sprinting up the stairs. Her heart was beating up a bruise in her chest, but her face was expressionless. She had to warn Roy; there were probably only seconds left until the explosion. In her moment of helplessness back outside the building, the second boy had scampered after his friend. They'd be easy to find this time. There were whole troops of military persons coming. One was dripping with blood and had a bullet lodged in his arm.

They'd be easy to find.

Riza was taking the steps two at a time, her energy draining rapidly. Suddenly, a tremor ran through the building, and Riza overbalanced, tripping on a stair. She recovered quickly, putting out her arms to stop the fall, not stopping for longer than a second. She continued upwards, risking a shout; "Sir! Colonel, are you up there? Roy!" Before she could comprehend what was happening, she was being shoved back down the stairs. As smoke began to fill the stairwell, her eyes watered, and she was blind; she didn't understand what was happening.

"I thought I told you to take the ground?" Roy's voice was right by her ear. "Honestly, you're such a pain. Hurry up, unless you fancy being buried alive." Riza was choking at the mass of smoke, but she complied, her hand finding Roy's, their fingers entwining. His grip of her was tight, and he was yanking her after him, back down two flights of stairs. Despite the smoke and the heat, Riza felt safe. She was finding it difficult, taking on board all the new emotions she was finally noticing when she was with him. _I suppose this is what they call being in love, eh?_

The building was literally crumbling when they got out. Roy collapsed onto the ground when they were at a safe distance, coughing violently. Riza fell down next to him, thankful for the clean outside air as she caught her breath. Then, quite involuntarily, she flung her arms around Roy, her sore throat unable to produce words. Roy enclosed her with his own arms, hugging her firmly.

"We thought we'd never see this!" Havoc sounded excitable as he came over to them, followed by a still dizzy looking Fuery and grinning Breda. "Finally!" Havoc crouched down by them, his grin reminding Roy of a lunatic. Riza turned her head to look at Havoc, but she didn't let go of Roy. "Tell me; you're a couple, right? Right?" Roy looked at Riza, smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Yeah, we are," Roy answered, giving Riza quick, tender kiss, almost using that as evidence. "We are." A small cheer arose from the two lieutenants and the sergeant, followed by choruses of "at last" and "took them long enough" from surrounding military personnel.

"And another bit of good news," Breda piped up. "The boys were all caught. The two from the building were pretty badly burnt, and another," He gave a pointed glance at Riza, "was bleeding profusely from his arm." Roy stood up, offering his hand to Riza. She took it gratefully, her eyes bright with vigour. Roy draped his arm across her shoulders, keeping her close to him.

"What a great way to end a great day," He commented, beaming at everyone around him. "Don't you think so, Riza?" He put particular emphasis on her name.

"Yes, I do think so, Roy."


	10. Confessions

A/N: It's the final chapter! This one's cute, I have to say. Anyway.  
While writing this, I feel I may not have _quite_ captured the feeling of Roy and Riza's relationship. Then again, this is my first ever big Royai fic, so I'm bound to make mistakes, aren't I? It's all part of the learning. -nodnod-

* * *

Ironically, it was raining throughout the next week. Roy sat in his living room, his thoughts all over the place. _It's nice to get my whole team an extra day off_, he thought, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. _I think I'll go pay Riza a visit later_. He smiled to himself. _Riza. It feels so good, being able to call her that. I don't have to use "lieutenant" or "Hawkeye" anymore. I can just call her Riza…_

His musings were broken up by a sharp, loud knock on his door. Frowning, Roy went to answer it, wondering who it could be. Upon opening the door, he discovered a rather wet Riza Hawkeye standing there, looking somewhat breathless. "Riza? God, you're soaked! Get inside before you drown!" He ushered her in, grimacing at the back of her head. She was wearing her hair up again. He quickly took out her clip, letting her blonde hair tumble down over her shoulders. Riza pivoted around, starting to protest, but Roy held up a hand to silence her. "You look much better this way. Anyway, what're you doing here? I was planning on coming by later-"

"I have to tell you something," Riza said shortly. Roy stopped. "Last week, I got a letter from East City, asking me if I wanted to transfer there. If I accepted, I would become a Colonel too." Roy frowned, taking a step towards Riza. She bit her lip, looking up at him. He was a good ten centimetres taller than her, but it was enough to make him seem like he was towering above her.

"Riza, don't tell me-"

"I declined. It's not just because of us - even though that's definitely part of it - not just that - the majority of that, though - but I was hoping you wouldn't be mad at me for missing on the opportunity or something." Riza was scarlet, and trying to keep her eyes locked with Roy's but eventually she gave up. Her gaze was on her feet, taking particular interest in her shoes. Roy said nothing for a while, the usual mode of silence between them stretching out for what seemed like hours.

"I know it sounds so selfish," Roy began slowly, "but to be honest, I'm immensely relieved that you declined. Having to constantly commute to East City would have been a pain." He tilted Riza's chin up, grinning wolfishly at her. "The same goes for having to go back and forth from East City to Central." Riza was caught off guard yet again by what he said. Roy let his lips brush against hers, about to continue, but he found he couldn't. Riza's fingers were on his neck, pushing him back to her. Happily accommodating, he didn't break away, instead adding some depth to the kiss. Riza's hands slipped down, fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, her touch suggestive. As she fiddled around there, Roy began to place small, gentle butterfly kisses on the exposed part of her neck, quite soundly playing along. Soon, his shirt was on the back of his sofa, Riza's inquisitive hands doing some travelling. Roy was glad they were both wearing shirts; they were much less trouble. His hands played with her hair, slowly moving towards the top button of her shirt.

Perhaps one of the loveliest parts of being in a romantic relationship with someone, Riza uncovered, was being able to wake up in their arms. When she opened her eyes, she was lying on her side, with Roy's arm lain across her abdomen, their legs tangled beneath the sheets. She felt warm, inside and outside and she stirred, rolling over slightly to look at Roy. He was already awake, gazing at her with a faraway smile on his face. Riza allowed herself a smile, kissing his lips as he pulled her to him again. "Maes would be very pleased if he knew," Roy whispered, closing his eyes.

"He would." Riza touched his cheek, pressing her forehead to his. "He would be so amazingly happy."

"He'd probably throw us a party."

"Probably."

There was a long pause, in which Roy placed his chin on her head, his arms encircling her securely. Riza kissed his neck, and in response, he kissed her head and her hair, taking a long, deep breath before he spoke again.

"I love you, Riza."

"I love you too, Roy," Riza murmured, so glad she was hearing the words she'd longed to hear for such a damn long time.


End file.
